Report alleges sex abuse by 40 Vermont priests since 1950

A report released Thursday by Vermont's Roman Catholic Church found there were "credible and substantiated" allegations of the sexual abuse of minors against 40 priests in the state since 1950.All but one of those allegations occurred prior to 2000, and none of the priests is still in ministry, the report said. Most of the priests who were named in the report are now dead."While most of these allegations took place at least a generation ago, the numbers are still staggering," said Bishop Christopher Coyne, who leads the Roman Catholic Diocese of Burlington, which covers the entire state.Coyne commissioned the report last fall after the Vermont attorney general's office launched its own investigation into allegations of abuse at the now-shuttered St. Joseph's Orphanage in Burlington and amid mounting pressure on the church to respond to abuse claims.Vermont's attorney general's office is conducting a separate investigation into abuse allegations.